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Namibia: Churches to Collect for BIG
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New Era (Windhoek)
7 May 2008
Posted to the web 7 May 2008
Wezi Tjaronda
Windhoek
The Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) has urged its members to collect a special offering for the Basic Income Grant on Pentecost Sunday or on any Sunday in May.
"Wherever Ecumenical Services are held on Pentecost Sunday, the collection should be earmarked for the BIG," said a statement from the CCN.
This year, Pentecost Sunday falls on May 11 and thousands of Namibians are expected to gather in 40 towns to pray for Namibia and its neighbours.
The collection is one of the resolutions made by the CCN annual general meeting that met from April 27 to 30. The theme of the meeting was "step forth in faith for a better Namibia".
The collection is one of the fundraising efforts meant to meet the needs of the needy in society. In January this year the BIG Coalition started a pilot project in which it is giving N$100 to 100 residents of Omitara settlement, 155 km out of Windhoek.
Even though the pilot project has enough money for the two years it is supposed to run, the BIG secretariat said it wants more Namibians to get involved in easing the plight of their countrymen.
CCN president, Reverend Erich Hertel, who submitted the resolutions on behalf of the executive committee said the AGM appreciated the launch of the BIG pilot project in Omitara and described it as a "modern day story of the good Samaritan, in which new freedom emerged for the disadvantaged, thereby sending a strong message of restoration and hope".
Maggy Hansen of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia's social desk told New Era yesterday that half of the money to implement the pilot project was donated by Namibians but that they did not want people to relax while others outside Namibia were funding the project.
"We want it to be a Namibian people-centred thing," she said. To measure the impact of the grant on the people of Omitara, the secretariat has commissioned a study, which will start from June 30 until July 4. The survey will come up with the challenges and success of the implementation of BIG.
The BIG committee of Omitara has already said the grant has improved the lives of the people who before January this year had no source of income for basic needs.
The CCN is one of the founding partners of the BIG Coalition.
Meanwhile, the thousands of Namibians that will gather in more than 40 towns throughout Namibia will pray for Namibia, the Zimbabwe crisis and the southern African region.
Transformation Namibia's general overseer, Pastor Stephan Nell, said the specific issues facing Namibia, which will form part of the prayer, include unemployment, HIV/Aids and the upcoming elections in 2009.
Nell said the faithful would also thank God for political stability in Namibia. Since this year's global day of prayer coincides with Mother's Day, the programme will also focus on the woman, said Nell.
In 2007, about 34 towns participated in the prayer, which has become the biggest gathering of believers in a single day worldwide.
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Started in Cape Town in 2001, the day that is now observed the world over was set aside for people to repent and seek God's face on issues facing their different nations.
This year, the prayer will be marked by dance and processions of flags portraying the different nations in Africa and the sounding of the showfar (victory sign made by the horn). Last year, 120 doves signifying the release of the Holy Spirit were released into the air during the prayer at Sam Nujoma Stadium.
The Global Day of prayer is guided by two Bible verses, namely: 2 Chronicles 7: 14 and Habakkuk 2 verse 14.
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